


and let me kiss you

by wolfygoeswild



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Platonic Kissing, creepslayerz singlehandedly saved my life, i meant it as platonic but all whale, this can be seen as platonic or shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 14:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13237425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfygoeswild/pseuds/wolfygoeswild
Summary: "Kissing was something you do to say I love you-“ he seemed to catch himself and let his words tumble out faster, “-I mean! Platonically! Like when you say I love you to your family.”“Huh.” Steve said.





	and let me kiss you

**Author's Note:**

> what's up trollhunters is my new hyperfixation and i can't get enough of these two cool dudes  
> this is the second fic i've done for this very good cartoon (i orphaned the first one because i got Embarrassed but its [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9583400) if you want to read it

Eli wasn’t really thinking when he did it the first time.

He’d rung the bell at the top of the rope, the little hollow chime representing a resounding triumph. He was elated, on top of the world, and his excited smile stretched from ear to ear. He slid down the rope, ignoring the burn on his hands, the adrenaline filling him to the brim as he reached the bottom.

“Nice work, Pepperbuddy!” Steve said, as he put his arm around Eli’s shoulder and yanked him towards him in way that Eli had decided was the way Steve hugged.

“Yeah, well it was thanks to you helping train me, Steve,” he said, laughing, and then leaned up to Steve’s cheek and gave him a peck.

They both froze.

“I, um,” Eli tried, before he lost his voice. He wiggled out of Steve’s grasp and stepped back, out of hitting range. Eli was expecting Steve’s face to be enfuriated, or disgusted, or hateful. But instead, he just looked kind of confused. Shocked and a subtle version of flabbergasted. The silence was heavy, and it pushed down on Eli, so he tried his voice again.

“I used to do that with my friends, in grade school,” he started. “We started doing it because we thought, uh, kissing was something you do to say I love you-“ he seemed to catch himself and let his words tumble out faster, “-I mean! Platonically! Like when you say I love you to your family.”

“Huh.” Steve said.

The silence stretched on.

“I’m sorry. It was in the moment kind of thing. I won’t do it again.”

Looking at Eli, avoiding eye contact and squeezing his arm like he was bracing himself for a hit, Steve felt an uncomfortable stirring in his gut. He used to beat up this kid, and now here he was, genuinely feeling bad that Eli’s feeling bad for thinking he made things weird. Steve might still be kind of lost at the idea of kissing his friends, but he didn’t particularly hate it. He also knew that Eli definitely didn’t have many people on his side in his high school experience, and this was something he did with his friends. And well… they were friends now, right? They were the Creepslayerz. He took in a deep breath.

“It’s cool.”

Eli froze, snapping his head up. Steve wore a soft smirk, something genuine, and shrugged. Eli let himself smile back.

“Cool.”

* * *

 

Steve was thinking too much when he did it the first time.

It was easy for Eli. Steve came to expect a quick kiss on the cheek anytime Pepperjack did something better than he used to be able to. He fell into the habit so naturally. There were only a few times, after that first time, that Eli would freeze and, a second later, breathe out a huff of relief.

And it was nice for Steve, too. He’d laugh along, and smile so easily with him. It was nice. Whenever he felt a peck, he took it as a compliment, as a “thank you,” or a “you’re doing good,” and it inflated his ego when he got more. But in another way, it made him feel greedy.

Wouldn’t it make sense to give those compliments back to Eli?

He thought about the story Eli had told him, about how he kissed someone when he loved them. Whenever Steve thought about it, he’d have to fight away a fond smile at knowing that Eli trusts him, loves him even. And it seemed so natural to him that he thought about Eli that way too. Someone he confides in. Someone he trusts. Someone he hasn’t had a bond like this with, before.

Steve’s never been good with words. He knows he couldn’t really articulate that what Eli shows through kissing is reciprocated on Steve’s part.

He should kiss Eli.

Then, Eli would know that it’s reciprocated, right? Every single thing Steve feels when Eli gives him those victory pecks, Eli would know that it goes both ways.

So when Steve tells Eli that he saw Jim in an actual suit of glowing armor, and Eli gets excited, and Steve grins along with him, it’s be the perfect time. Steve wraps an arm around Eli’s shoulders, pulls him close, and leans down to lay a small kiss in his hair. It’s soft enough that without knowing what the intention might be, it could be mistaken for a closer hug. But Eli knows, and he freezes, and Steve feels what Eli felt that first time.

Eli smiles, then giggles, then laughs. Steve pulls back to smile at him.

And it’s nice.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope everything was ok steve was rly hard to write bcos his personality did a complete 180 with eli  
> u can leave requests if u want!  
> ok bye lov u
> 
> hmu on [tumblr](http://desert-lurker.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
